Otago Polytechnic design studio workSpace was commissioned to
craft the series of unusual seats in Vogel St.

The seats, and four stools to be installed next to them, cost
a total of $49,600, which came from a $580,000 council budget
for amenity improvements to the area.

Designer Jess Dobson said the sleepers in the seats
referenced a historic jetty and the shapes of the seats were
inspired by the fact the area was once where land and sea
met.

Each seat had a different story; one resembled the sails of a
ship, another depicted a large wave rolling over the Toitu
estuary, which was where the precinct now stands.

Council acting urban planning team leader Dr Glen Hazelton
said the area had seen many changes over the years and was
still evolving.

To extend that story, local businesses ADInstruments, Toitu
Otago Settlers Museum, ArtSenta, Duty Bound and the Chinese
Garden had contributed to time capsules buried in three of
the seats.

Inside the capsules were more than 100 thoughts on the
question ''What do you want for future Dunedin?'' preserved
on cards from Toitu's wishing tree, a hand-bound compilation
of ArtSenta's artists' work and a book about Dunedin's
affiliation with sister city Shanghai.

The council's plan for the warehouse precinct was also
included, along with a catalogue of ADInstruments'
technological capabilities and explanatory DVDs.